Congo, Democratic Republic of

Stephen Weissman should be congratulated for his excellent research on the CIA’s involvement in Congo’s internal politics immediately after inde­pendence (“What Really Happened in Congo,” July/August 2014).

Jason Stearns, director of the Usalama project at the Rift Valley Institute, discusses the current situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with professors and students, as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.

"Militia-controlled mines in eastern Congo have been feeding raw materials into the world's biggest electronics and jewelry companies and at the same time feeding chaos. Turns out your laptop—or camera or gaming system or gold necklace—may have a smidgen of Congo's pain somewhere in it."

Mvemba Dizolele, Tony Gambino, and Ben Rawlence discuss the long history of the Congo, the roadblocks to a sustainable framework agreement, and recommendations for the United States and regional players moving forward.

Mvemba Dizolele, Tony Gambino, and Ben Rawlence discuss the long history of the Congo, the roadblocks to a sustainable framework agreement, and recommendations for the United States and regional players moving forward.

Often referred to as one of the deadliest and most forgotten wars, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has yet to see a lasting peace in over a decade. Mvemba Dizolele, Tony Gambino, and Ben Rawlence discuss the long history of the Congo, the roadblocks to a sustainable framework agreement, and recommendations for the United States and regional players moving forward.

Asked by Lauren Harrison, from Harvard Kennedy School Author: John CampbellFebruary 27, 2013

The exploitation of Congo's vast resources by competing elites and militaries for personal enrichment promotes insecurity and stymies development. Only very strong Western and African public outcry and a change in China's nonintervention approach might open the possibilities for change.

Electoral instability and insurrectionary violence may once again afflict the Democratic Republic of Congo. Joshua Marks of the National Endowment for Democracy proposes steps the United States can take to prevent these scenarios from occurring and, if they occur, mitigate their potential consequences.

With the death toll in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo likely exceeding six million, the UN peacekeeping force needs beefing up, and both the Rwandan and Congolese governments should punish nationals guilty of violence against civilians, says CFR's John Campbell.

In this New York Times op-ed, Nicholas Kristof, who has been profiling the ongoing violence in eastern Congo against civilians, laments that the international response to this humanitarian crisis has been "pathetic," citing the 5.4 million people that have died in the conflict since April 2007 and urging the international community to show more compassion toward Congo.

Adam Hochschild emphasizes four major factors that continuously cause conflict in Congo: long-standing antagonism between certain ethnic groups, the 1994 Rwandan genocide, vast wealth in natural resources, and lastly, a vast population--65 million--in an area as big as the United States east of the Mississippi.

This International Crisis Group report examines the failed attempts of the past to dismantle the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)--an insurgency with roots that go back to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda--and recommends a new approach to help end great civilian suffering and restore state authority in the eastern Congo.

International Crisis Group Africa Report 2009 outlines five priorities for a successful peacebuilding strategy for the eastern Congo including a credible and comprehensive disarmament strategy and a security system reform with a new focus on building capacity and accountability in the Kivus as well as Orientale province.

CFR Experts Guide

The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.

New Council Special Reports

Campbell evaluates the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency and recommends that the United States support Nigerian efforts to address the drivers of Boko Haram, such as poverty and corruption, and to foster stronger ties with Nigerian civil society.

Koblentz argues that the United States should work with other nuclear-armed states to manage threats to nuclear stability in the near term and establish processes for multilateral arms control efforts over the longer term.

The authors argue that it is essential to begin working now to expand and establish rules and norms governing armed drones, thereby creating standards of behavior that other countries will be more likely to follow.

2014 Annual Report

Learn more about CFR’s mission and its work over the past year in the 2014 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.Read and download »